Chicago P.D
Chicago PD Review – Burgess Is Back on the Job (9×02)
After a near-death experience, Burgess rejoined Intelligence on Chicago PD Season 9 Episode 2.
But it wasn’t without a little push from Voight, Ruzek, and the rest of the team.
Based on the timeline provided, it’s been about a week since Burgess was discharged from the hospital, which doesn’t sound like nearly enough time to get back into the swing of things.
Physical injuries aside, the whole ordeal took quite an emotional toll on her. When Voight paid her a visit, the poor girl was going through it as her PTSD got the best of her.
That clearly wasn’t someone that should’ve been cleared to return to work.
I would expect her to sit out at least a few episodes. We could’ve seen her contemplating her return to work, working through it with a therapist, honestly, anything.
Heck, I would’ve preferred to see a scene between Trudy and Burgess. Why didn’t she pay her a visit after Ruzek suggested she might be looking into desk duty? They had the time to film a scene between Trudy and Voight talking it over, but they couldn’t have Trudy reach out and give Burgess a moment to talk her emotions out?
When will they stop underutilizing Trudy?
The series never allows characters to process what has happened. That kind of rushed storytelling might make sense on a sitcom, but it just feels silly on a semi-serialized procedural.
The girl quite literally just told Ruzek she might never be ready to return, and then she turns around and pretty much works the whole case.
Not to mention that she pursued a lead on her own. Why doesn’t she learn from the last few times that things went sideways?
There are two very recent and specific times that ended very badly for Burgess when she tracked down a lead solo.
I do appreciate that Voight wanted Burgess to be sure of her decision; it wouldn’t be a choice if she was making it from a place of fear.
And there’s no better person for a storyline about violence against women.
In this particular case, Burgess was roped into a case involving the rape of three women, two of which didn’t survive, and one who got away with gruesome injuries.
Burgess connected with the only living victim, Sara, on a different level as she understood what she was going through having been in the situation herself not too long ago.
Sara’s story about feeling powerless was like a rehash of exactly what Burgess went through.
Since she wasn’t able to catch Roy, the man who nearly killed her, the next best thing was getting Gary Franklin off the streets.
And yes, the fact that Burgess is still living in fear of when Roy might turn up next while Upton is willingly keeping what she did a secret to spare herself wasn’t lost on anyone.
How does Upton look at herself in the mirror every morning?
Chicago PD’s strong suit isn’t story continuity, but it almost seemed as though Upton forgot all about what happened with her, Roy, and Voight.
Does she feel any remorse?
CHICAGO P.D. — “Rage” Episode 902 — Pictured: Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
Anyway, the fact that the parole officer was responsible wasn’t a huge twist. Someone abusing their power and position — shocker!
Gary was suspicious the moment Ruzek and Atwater paid him a visit and he indicated that Ava was working with the cops and getting cash.
When Burgess wasn’t able to convince Sara to wear a wire and incriminate Gary, she took it upon herself to get it done.
You would think the others would have been able to figure out that the common denominator for all three women was Gary, but I guess it was supposed to underscore that the case would’ve fallen flat without Burgess’s perceptive nature.
And by actively pursuing him and trying to catch him in the act, she proved that she still had the instincts to do the job.
In fact, when he attacked her, she shot him point black without hesitation.
Burgess may have been shaken by her experience, but as terrible as it was, it made her a stronger cop.
It also proves that she can handle so much more than she ever knew possible.
I’m hoping that after this ordeal, the writers will just give her a break. Let her enjoy being a mother to Makayla for a little. Maybe let her figure things out with Ruzek?
Burgess can’t handle any more dark storylines thrown her way!
What did you think of the episode? Was Burgess’s return, albeit badass, a bit too premature?
Sound off in the comments below!
It’s finally happening—our favorite One Chicago shows are coming home to us!
Chihards, mark your calendars and get ready to sit down in front of the TV on January 17 because that’s when Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD will make their highly-anticipated and long-awaited premieres!
It’s truly beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… though I hope that turning around new episodes doesn’t mean that the actors will have to work through the holidays.
one chicago wednesdays return January 17 on @nbc and streaming on @peacock!!!
— Top 1% of Burzek shippers (@NBCOneChicago) November 20, 2023
Chicago Med returns for season 9, Fire for season 12, and Med for season 11.
Of course, the full NBC 2024 lineup will kick off on Jan 1 with America’s Got Talent: Fantasy League, which means they are wasting no time getting back into the swing of things following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike delays.
Law & Order franchises will have their moment on Thursday, Jan 18 with Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Part 1 of The Voice returns on Feb. 26, along with BC’s new Deal or No Deal spinoff, Deal or No Deal Island.
La Brea will air its final season on Jan 9, leading into the final two episodes of Found. The Irrational will also air its final four episodes starting Monday, Jan. 29.
Quantum Leap and Magnum P.I., Lopez vs. Lopez, The Weakest Link, Password, That’s My Jam and The Wall currently don’t have a premiere date.
Chicago PD fans—we’ve got some bad news coming your way.
As you await new episodes of the crime procedural, the cast is getting yet another shakeup (we’re still not over Jesse Lee Soffer’s exit in the first half of season 10, to be honest).
Variety announced that Tracy Spiridakos, who has portrayed Detective Hailey Upton since season 4, will be leaving the series. She is set to exit after season 11, though it remains unclear if she’ll be around for the entirety of the season or pull a move from Soffer’s playbook and exit a few episodes in.
The outlet notes that the decision to leave the show was entirely her own; Spiridakos has yet to confirm or release a statement of her own.
Spiridakos joined the Dick Wolf Entertainment drama in 2016 as a recurring character and was quickly upped to series regular starting in season 5. Since then she’s become an integral part of Intelligence, getting her hands dirty with Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) and sparking a romantic relationship with Soffer’s Det. Jay Halstead.
While it’s a bummer, her departure does kind of make sense when you look at her overall story. Since Halstead left the city to fulfill an Army task in Bolivia and basically broke her heart, she’s had trouble picking up the pieces and finding her place. Hitting refresh—which ultimately means leaving the show—is a logical next step as there’s nothing holding her back anymore. The writers could find a way to mend Upstead with her joining Jay wherever his duties take him or she can look for a fresh start in a place that no longer reminds her of her broken marriage.
Spiridakos’ character was also involved in a rather intense case that spanned several episodes last season, so they could use that as an excuse to write her off, noting that the case took a toll on her.
The 10th season has been delayed by the writers’ and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and while writers are able to get back into the rooms and craft storylines, production remains halted. No premiere dates have been announced yet, so it’s unclear how long we’ll wait for the upcoming highly-anticipated season… and Spiridakos’ last.
Without her, there are only 4 originals left standing; In addition to Beghe, the series stars LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater), Patrick J. Flueger (Adam Ruzek), and Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess). In 2022, newcomer Benjamin Levy Aguilar (Torres) was upped to series regular, rounding out the squad.
The One Chicago franchise has endured plenty of loss as of late, with many notable stars exiting their respective shows, including a total of 5 characters leaving Chicago Med.
Following Chicago PD Season 5’s finale, it’s understandable that fans are worried about Adam Ruzek’s fate as it hangs in the balance.
Questions and concerns immediately began popping up, with many wondering if Patrick Flueger is leaving the series.
For now, it’s unclear as the episode that ended the season left things on a bit of a cliffhanger in terms of Ruzek’s health.
During the episode, Ruzek, who was working undercover for months to thwart Richard’s, a white supremacist’s deadly terrorist plan, blew his own cover to Richard’s daughter, Sam, who was trying to skip town after her dad moved up the date for his attack.
Ruzek and the Intelligence team then convinced Sam to inform on her dad and his crew in exchange for immunity for herself and her son, Callum, which she did.
He then advised them to pack up their things and head over to a safe house, which she proposed as a little getaway to Callum. Unfortunately, Cal was so brainwashed by his grandfather that he immediately called him to let him know that his mom was trying to leave.
When Ruzek approached him and saw him on the phone, Cal pulled out a gun. Ruzek tried to diffuse the situation but Cal pulled the trigger, hitting Ruzek in the abdomen. He immediately started bleeding out and collapsed to the ground. Once Sam realized what was happening, she grabbed her son and made a run for it, leaving Ruzek alone to die. Thankfully, he was able to reach Kim Burgess and within minutes, he was in an ambo on his way to Med.
CHICAGO P.D. — “A Better Place” Episode 1022 — Pictured: Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
Unfortunately, once he went into surgery, the doctors provided no additional updates, though Platt assured a very concerned Burgess that they got to him quickly.
It’s tough to say if Ruzek will survive, especially with so many Chicago PD and Chicago Med exits happening this year, however, Ruzek is one of the fan-favorite characters, so I can’t see him leaving the series anytime soon. He’s strong and he’s a fighter, and he has a lot to live for—he just made things official with Burgess, he’s a father to Makayla, and he’s an integral part of Intelligence.
My guess is that he will survive the surgery, but he’ll be sidelined for a bit and will likely have to go through some rehab and therapy in the same way Burgess did after her near-death experience.
This seems to be a still from an upcoming episode that shows Ruzek still alive post-surgery—though unconscious—with Burgess by his side, which is promising.
CHICAGO P.D. — “A Better Place” Episode 1022 — Pictured: (l-r) Patrick John Flueger as Adam Ruzek, Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Lori Allen/NBC)
While I can’t say anything definitively, I firmly believe that Adam Ruzek is not leaving Chicago PD just yet. And we likely won’t know more until Chicago PD Season 9 returns in the fall.
You can read our Chicago PD Season 10 Episode 22 review right here.
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